The first part of an historical collection of the ancient Parliaments of England, from the yeer of our Lord 673, till the end of King John's reign, anno 1216. Wherein is cleerly demonstrated by histories and records beyond contradiction, that the ancient parliaments, and great councels of England, during all this tract of time, and many yeers after, were constituted, and consisted onely of our kings, princes, dukes, earls, nobles, barons, spiritual and temporal lords, and those we now usually stile the House of Peers; and that both the legislative and judicial power of our parliaments resided onliy [sic] in them; without any knights, citizens, burgesses of Parliament, or Commons House, not knowne, nor heard of, till of punier times then these. Published, to inform the ignorance, and check the insolent usurpations of those few commoners, who now call themselves not only the Commons House, but Parliament of England; and (as much as in them lies) have most unjustly excluded both our King and lords from being any Members, or branches of our late, or future Parliaments. /